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katykelly's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars
I loved the author's debut, Flip, an intelligent and thoughtful body-swap story. So I wanted to see where he went next.
This is pretty dark. But it's a topic that needs to be talked about. Grief, guilt and death are topics that teenage readers may not want to read about regularly, but Bedford has captured what a teenager might go through, at the extreme when they blame themselves for a loved one's death and need help to move through the worst pain and on into life.
I haven't given this five stars. Throughout I was nagged that there was something artificial in the writing and I twigged it halfway, reading another review. It feels like it should be written in the first person, from Siobhan's perspective. It's not, it's third person and sometimes the language feels wrong somehow. Anyway, that doesn't detract from the story.
Fifteen-year-old Siobhan (Shiv) checks herself into a therapy centre, alongside several other teenagers. Each is there because they feel responsible for the death of someone close to them - in Shiv's case, her younger brother Declan. Each of them has become a danger to themselves or others - self-harming or through public acts of violence and they are there for two months of revolutionary therapy to help them deal with what happened in their lives.
The therapy itself seems quite shocking at times (psychological, nothing physical). The story passes back and forth between Shiv in the present doing her best to immerse herself in the therapy, and to the recent past where she and her family are on the holiday that would eventually see her 12-year-old brother die. We go through Shiv's therapy with her, and only knowing her own perspective of Dec's death until very close to the end, we are as much in the dark as she is about the whole truth of her role in it.
Through the other teenagers, we see other reactions to death and grief - the overwhelming guilt leading to self-harm, eating disorders, social withdrawal - and through the therapy, how healing might be achieved.
Shiv is very honest and open but without the first person perspective it feels one-level-removed from her at times, though I didn't want to stop reading. I wanted to see for myself what happened to Dec and if Shiv really had a reason to feel such guilt.
This is a really sad tale, but with light at the end of a very dark tunnel, a book to recommend to readers as one that will make them think.
I loved the author's debut, Flip, an intelligent and thoughtful body-swap story. So I wanted to see where he went next.
This is pretty dark. But it's a topic that needs to be talked about. Grief, guilt and death are topics that teenage readers may not want to read about regularly, but Bedford has captured what a teenager might go through, at the extreme when they blame themselves for a loved one's death and need help to move through the worst pain and on into life.
I haven't given this five stars. Throughout I was nagged that there was something artificial in the writing and I twigged it halfway, reading another review. It feels like it should be written in the first person, from Siobhan's perspective. It's not, it's third person and sometimes the language feels wrong somehow. Anyway, that doesn't detract from the story.
Fifteen-year-old Siobhan (Shiv) checks herself into a therapy centre, alongside several other teenagers. Each is there because they feel responsible for the death of someone close to them - in Shiv's case, her younger brother Declan. Each of them has become a danger to themselves or others - self-harming or through public acts of violence and they are there for two months of revolutionary therapy to help them deal with what happened in their lives.
The therapy itself seems quite shocking at times (psychological, nothing physical). The story passes back and forth between Shiv in the present doing her best to immerse herself in the therapy, and to the recent past where she and her family are on the holiday that would eventually see her 12-year-old brother die. We go through Shiv's therapy with her, and only knowing her own perspective of Dec's death until very close to the end, we are as much in the dark as she is about the whole truth of her role in it.
Through the other teenagers, we see other reactions to death and grief - the overwhelming guilt leading to self-harm, eating disorders, social withdrawal - and through the therapy, how healing might be achieved.
Shiv is very honest and open but without the first person perspective it feels one-level-removed from her at times, though I didn't want to stop reading. I wanted to see for myself what happened to Dec and if Shiv really had a reason to feel such guilt.
This is a really sad tale, but with light at the end of a very dark tunnel, a book to recommend to readers as one that will make them think.
lastpaige111's review against another edition
4.0
If you are interested in exploring an unusual approach to dealing with teen guilt, here's your story. Broken teens support one another at a mental health facility reliant on counterintuitive healing.
greenvillemelissa's review against another edition
3.0
Book #102 Read in 2014
Never Ending by Martyn Bedford (YA)
Shiv is in therapy at a clinic; she is trying to recover from the death of her brother, Declan. Shiv blames herself for his death, which happened while the family was on vacation in Greece. Through flashbacks, readers begin to get the picture of Shiv's relationship with her brother and where things began to fall apart. This book bogged down a bit for me in the middle and at times I thought about putting it down unfinished, but I had to keep going to find out how Declan died and if Shiv really was to blame as she believed. This is definitely geared toward high school students. I think a reluctant reader would have a hard time finishing this book.
I received a copy of this book from the Amazon Vine program in exchange for a honest review.
Never Ending by Martyn Bedford (YA)
Shiv is in therapy at a clinic; she is trying to recover from the death of her brother, Declan. Shiv blames herself for his death, which happened while the family was on vacation in Greece. Through flashbacks, readers begin to get the picture of Shiv's relationship with her brother and where things began to fall apart. This book bogged down a bit for me in the middle and at times I thought about putting it down unfinished, but I had to keep going to find out how Declan died and if Shiv really was to blame as she believed. This is definitely geared toward high school students. I think a reluctant reader would have a hard time finishing this book.
I received a copy of this book from the Amazon Vine program in exchange for a honest review.
molly_janeeley's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book! The switching narrative between past and present kept me intrigued throughout the entire book, I couldn’t put it down.
Looks into the psyche of family trauma victims and the inner workings of guilty minds.
The only negative I could find is in some places the writing seems rather clumsy, which makes it a little hard to read.
Looks into the psyche of family trauma victims and the inner workings of guilty minds.
The only negative I could find is in some places the writing seems rather clumsy, which makes it a little hard to read.
elliecaitlin16's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
sc104906's review
3.0
Shiv's brother recently died on a family holiday. Her mother has checked out, her father is obsessed with avenging his son's death through the legal system, and Shiv blames herself for his death. Shiv has bouts of black out anger and her family has decided that it would be best to send her to a clinic. The clinic is using new techniques to help several teens overcome their grief and come to terms with their involvement in the deceased person's death.
I could never really tell if this book was more fantasy than reality. The characters and plot weren't very compelling, but weren't off-putting either. By the end, once the important questions were answered, I really couldn't care what happened.
I could never really tell if this book was more fantasy than reality. The characters and plot weren't very compelling, but weren't off-putting either. By the end, once the important questions were answered, I really couldn't care what happened.
melissapalmer404's review
3.0
Book #102 Read in 2014
Never Ending by Martyn Bedford (YA)
Shiv is in therapy at a clinic; she is trying to recover from the death of her brother, Declan. Shiv blames herself for his death, which happened while the family was on vacation in Greece. Through flashbacks, readers begin to get the picture of Shiv's relationship with her brother and where things began to fall apart. This book bogged down a bit for me in the middle and at times I thought about putting it down unfinished, but I had to keep going to find out how Declan died and if Shiv really was to blame as she believed. This is definitely geared toward high school students. I think a reluctant reader would have a hard time finishing this book.
I received a copy of this book from the Amazon Vine program in exchange for a honest review.
Never Ending by Martyn Bedford (YA)
Shiv is in therapy at a clinic; she is trying to recover from the death of her brother, Declan. Shiv blames herself for his death, which happened while the family was on vacation in Greece. Through flashbacks, readers begin to get the picture of Shiv's relationship with her brother and where things began to fall apart. This book bogged down a bit for me in the middle and at times I thought about putting it down unfinished, but I had to keep going to find out how Declan died and if Shiv really was to blame as she believed. This is definitely geared toward high school students. I think a reluctant reader would have a hard time finishing this book.
I received a copy of this book from the Amazon Vine program in exchange for a honest review.
bibliofiendlm's review against another edition
4.0
Rating: 4.5/5
The plot: Set in the UK with flashbacks occurring in Greece, this novel tells the story of 15 year old Shiv and the tragic unraveling of her family after the loss of her younger brother, Declan. Through a sea of pain, readers learn that her parents' marriage is in trouble, her mother depressed, her father trying to navigate the legal drama surrounding Declan's death. Furthermore, Shiv is acting out and generally unstable since she blames herself for her brother's death. The majority of the book takes place at a clinic where Shiv must complete 60 days of treatment.
The characters: The author succeeds in beautiful, realistic character building. The trauma and emotions portrayed not only by Shiv but the other clinic residents is authentic. The flashbacks leading up to Declan's death make the emotional pain more tangible not only for Shiv but the reader.
Overall, this is an emotional, elegantly written YA debut for Bedford. The story is thoughtful and tactfully explores the grief and anger associated with severe trauma. I recommend this for a mature teen reader not so much for the content but for the writing style and sequencing. While there is finality to the ending, readers will certainly be left wanting more.
The plot: Set in the UK with flashbacks occurring in Greece, this novel tells the story of 15 year old Shiv and the tragic unraveling of her family after the loss of her younger brother, Declan. Through a sea of pain, readers learn that her parents' marriage is in trouble, her mother depressed, her father trying to navigate the legal drama surrounding Declan's death. Furthermore, Shiv is acting out and generally unstable since she blames herself for her brother's death. The majority of the book takes place at a clinic where Shiv must complete 60 days of treatment.
The characters: The author succeeds in beautiful, realistic character building. The trauma and emotions portrayed not only by Shiv but the other clinic residents is authentic. The flashbacks leading up to Declan's death make the emotional pain more tangible not only for Shiv but the reader.
Overall, this is an emotional, elegantly written YA debut for Bedford. The story is thoughtful and tactfully explores the grief and anger associated with severe trauma. I recommend this for a mature teen reader not so much for the content but for the writing style and sequencing. While there is finality to the ending, readers will certainly be left wanting more.
carysgw's review
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
lacywolfe's review
4.0
Touching story about loss and dealing with the death of a sibling. I appreciated the way the story of Declan's death was interspersed throughout Shioban's story of recovery. I couldn't put the book down because I was eager to know what had caused his death and if/how Shioban would recover.